Top 50 cocktail bars 2023 names Bristol venues on highly acclaimed list

The UK's Top 50 Cocktail Bars 2023 has been announced this week and two venues in Bristol have made it to the list. Filthy XIII and Milk Thistle have retained their places in the 2023 list selected by industry experts from across the UK, announced on February 7.

Filthy XIII moved up two places from last year to number 28 and was praised by the judges as "one of Bristol’s best-known independent cocktail bars". The Cheltenham Road bar, which first opened in 2019, has a subdued yet trendy setting in a moody-lit bar, which is open from Tuesday to Sunday.

It offers an Asian-inspired cocktail menu with notable drinks including the Lychee Martini, the Absinthe Frappe and the Umeshu Ice. Filthy XIII was a new addition to the UK-wide list last year and has become a firm favourite in Bristol as an outstanding venue filled with personality and sensational cocktails.

Read more: Wild Beer's bar at Wapping Wharf closes as landlords take over site

Meanwhile, the hidden city centre venue, Milk Thistle, placed at number 43. Spread across four floors, the discreet, speakeasy-style bar includes a clandestine hidden vault, a lounge bar and an attic room creating the most enthralling venue for the discerning drinker.

The UK guide highlighted the bar's reasonable prices and everchanging menu based on the expertise of the bartenders. They have been known to use anything from Bristol tea to Horlicks in their drinks. It's open Monday to Saturday each week.

Almost half of the list was dominated by London bars with the South West secured a total of five spots, with Lab 22 in Cardiff scoring second place. Bath's Hideout placed highly at number 18 along with Penny Royal at 36, another entry for Cardiff.

See the UK's Top 50 Cocktail Bars list in full below:

1. Satan’s Whiskers, Bethnal Green, London
2. Lab 22, Cardiff
3. Tayēr + Elementary, Shoreditch, London
4. SCHOFIELD’S BAR, Manchester
5. Swift, Soho, London
6. Panda & Sons, Edinburgh
7. Three Sheets, Dalston, London
8. Speak in Code, Manchester
9. Bar with Shapes for a Name, Hackney, London
10. The Connaught, Mayfair, London
11. Little Mercies, Crouch End, London
12. Couch, Birmingham
13. Bramble, Edinburgh
14. The Pineapple Club, Birmingham
15. Ojo Rojo, Bournemouth
16. Disrepute, Soho, London
17. Artesian, Oxford Circus, London
18. Hideout, Bath
19. Nightjar, Shoreditch, London
20. Present Company, Liverpool
21. Publiq, South Kensington, London
22. Scarfes Bar, Holborn, London
23. Lyaness, South Bank, London
24. Opium Cocktail & Dim Sum, Chinatown, London
25. The Absent Ear, Glasgow
26. Happiness Forgets, Hoxton, London
27. Hey Palu, Edinburgh
28. Filthy XIII, Bristol
29. Homeboy, Islington, London
30. Soma, Soho, London
31. Coupette, Bethnal Green, London
32. Passing Fancies, Birmingham
33. Bar Termini, Soho, London
34. Seed Library, Shoreditch, London
35. Murder Inc, Soho, London
36. Penny Royal, Cardiff
37. Callooh Callay, Shoreditch, London
38. Silverleaf, Liverpool St, London
39. Public, Sheffield
40. Fox & Chance, Birmingham
41. Blinker, Manchester
42. Below Stairs, Leeds
43. Milk Thistle, Bristol
44. Gungho!, Brighton
45. Hedonist, Leeds
46. Amaro, Kensington, London
47. Cottonmouth, Nottingham
48. Tabula Rasa, Leeds
49. Lunar, Glasgow
50. Bench, Sheffield

Up next:

• Bristol shops, bars and restaurants that have announced closure in 2023

• Bristol Old City pub Horts set to reopen after major refurbishment including new boutique rooms

• Hidden gems on Denmark Street that you might not have noticed

• The Easton pub known for its football team, gigs and community veg box scheme